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Globally, elder abuse/mistreatment is a common form of violence against the elderly. This study examines the association between multimorbidity and abuse/mistreatment among the elderly population (60+) in India. Cross-sectional data from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)’s “Building Knowledge Base on Population Aging in India” (BKPAI, 2011) was analyzed. We generated a multimorbidity variable by combining 20 self-reported diagnosed chronic diseases. Bivariate analysis was used to understand the sample distribution and prevalence estimation of elder abuse/mistreatment by multimorbidity and state. Furthermore, multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression was used to examine the association between multimorbidity and elder abuse/mistreatment. The overall prevalence of elder abuse/mistreatment in the study population is 11.4%. The prevalence of elder abuse/mistreatment among elderly with no chronic diseases is 6.01% which increases to 22.7% among elderly with four or more chronic diseases. Furthermore, the result from the multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression showed a close association between multimorbidity and elder abuse. Elderly with two, three, and four or more chronic diseases are 3.02 (CI = 2.33, 3.91, p < .000), 4.16 (CI = 3.02, 5.74, p < .000), and 5.06 (CI = 3.50, 7.31, p <.000) times more likely to experience abuse/mistreatment than elderly with no chronic diseases, respectively. In specific, this association is stronger for the elderly population residing in the urban areas. Furthermore, economic status and educational attainment have a protective role in determining elder abuse/mistreatment in India. In conclusion, multimorbidity has emerged as a significant risk factor of elder abuse/mistreatment in India. Measures to prevent elder abuse should consider the role of multimorbidity.

Background Household environment condition is an important predictor of morbidity of the household members. Without forming a healthy household environment, creating a healthy population is not possible. In this background, this study assesses the impact of change in household environment conditions on morbidity. Methods For the empirical analysis purpose of this study, we used two waves of longitudinal data from India Human Development Survey (2004–05, 2011–12). This study is based on 34131 re-contacted households in 2011–12 from the base year 2005. The bivariate and ANOVA tests were performed to assess any short-term morbidity (diarrhoea, fever and cough) with respect to change in household environment condition from 2005 to 2011. The multivariate linear regression was performed to assess the impact of change in household environment conditions on morbidity. The multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the impact of change in household environment condition on change in morbidity. Results The results from multivariate linear regression have shown that the share of household members fell sick due to any short-term morbidity (ASM) was significantly lower (β = –0.060, P<0.001) among the households who lived in clean environment condition in both the periods, 2004–05 and in 2011–12 as compared to those who were living in poor environment condition in both periods net of other socio-economic characteristics of the households. The share of household members fell sick due to any short-term morbidity has significantly declined (β = –0.051, P<0.001) among the household whose household environment condition has changed from poor in 2004–05 to clean environment in 2011–12 as compared to the households who have lived in poor environment condition in both periods in 2004–05 and 2011–12. The results of adjusted percentage from multinomial logistic regression have shown that the household members who fell sick with ASM was remained higher (4.9%; P<0.05) among the households whose environment condition was remained poor in both years in 2005 and 2011 as compared to the other households (2.7%) who remained in the better-off condition in both years in 2005 and 2011. Conclusion Considering the findings of the study, we suggest that ongoing government flagships programmes such as Swacch Bharat Mission (Clean India Mission), Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (Prime Minister Clean Energy Scheme) and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Prime Minister Housing Scheme), and Jal Jeevan Mission (Improved Source of Drinking Water Scheme) should work in tandem to improve household environment conditions.

Diabetes is one of the major contributors for the noncommunicable diseases. The disease burden due to diabetes is huge, and it not only puts pressure on the diabetes patients but also it adds pressure on the economy of the developing and underdeveloped nations. In India, the burden due to diabetes is more important as every fifth person is a diabetic. This paper reviews awareness and source of knowledge of diabetes, awareness about risk factors, and complications of diabetes in India. The review reveals that (a) awareness about diabetes is less in India; (b) awareness regarding specific risk factors associated with diabetes (obesity, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and high blood pressure) is found to be less; (c) there is a negative association between duration of diabetes and health-related quality of life; and (d) microvascular complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and coronary diseases) are major comorbidities affecting the diabetes patients. The review reveals that it is imperative to work effectively toward implementing a holistic program for diabetes prevention by ensuring proper awareness in the community.

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